very Mark Twainish

 This was Karen's choice for our next book club and I didn't know what to expect but I plopped it into my LindaKindle4 and I can now report that I am really liking This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. The story is set in 1932 (Great Depression) and we travel down the Mississippi River with four orphans who are escaping the horrible Lincoln Indian Training School in Minnesota. The strength and beauty of this Chosen Family and all the characters they meet on their journey with good writing and lots of action ~ so I'm happy to be reading this now and to be escaping the real world. 

the past and the present

 Today is Tender Day. Seven years since Husbando passed. Such a good man and still greatly missed by so many, especially by me, of course. This morning at 5am the power was restored and life as I know it now resumes with the busyness of daily living. I was so fortunate to see Bill in his children and grands this past weekend and we would have had some laughs were he with me. If only...

and Harlow, the dog

 The wedding was great fun and beautiful and the bride and groom included the big doodle who always comes to my house. Harlow takes over, but in a good way. Today is an all day power outage so I am at the neighborhood cafe awkwardly typing and posting and worrying about all sorts of battery stuff. I was going to drive someplace but the garage door won't open. I blame Trump. But details. Now. I enjoyed two hours at the Chicago Art Institute on Friday before joining Nancy and family for lunch and then a visit to Navy Pier which was busy and hot and great for kids. OK, more tomorrow, depending on PG&E of course.

scenes from Chicago

 Details tomorrow,  I promise. The wedding was wonderful and the family exceedingly warm, loving, thoughtful and (well) a bit crazy. It was hot. The ceremony was beautiful and the airports and planes were packed, but all smooth and yes, I am so happy to be home where it is currently 62º and sunny and lovely. Thanks to Mr. and Ms. Blogmaid for picking me up at SFO yesterday and to Annabelle for being her adorable me-first self. Courtyard Hotel Downtown/River North was expensive but ideal. So glad I could use Lyft to remain independent and I love all cities ~ Chicago seemed somehow extra vibrant and alive with outdoor cafes and tons of sparkling lights at night. Thanks to you who encouraged me to go and who knew I would have a great time, and I did. You know who you are. LOVE.

an empty chair

 Our friend Lee died yesterday. She was 95 and had a wonderful life. We thought she would make it to book club yesterday when we finally discussed James, but no such luck. I will memorialize Lee at a later date, but suffice it to say that we were all so fortunate to know her. The irony of Lee passing on book club day is not lost on any of us. We had our lunch and a subdued meeting at Heidi's. 

I will be back next Monday. I hardly ever take a blog break but I do not want to take MsBook Air to Chicago and I will snap lots of photos and have a few stories to tell about the wedding, the sights, the heat and assorted family members. Bon voyage. 😎

pre-packing (again)

 Early Thursday morning I fly to Chicago for a lot of family and the grand daughter's wedding. It seems like I just unpacked, but off I go. Annabelle has been acting odd and of course she prefers that I stay home and feed her every ten minutes. I do love Chicago and this big imperfect family that Bill gave to me on our wedding day. 

a Giant bit of news

 Hmmmmm. I do not know Rafael Devers (can I call him Raffy now?) but today he is a Giant in a big old blowout trade. He is a powerhouse with a bit of an attitude problem, or so they say. But maybe we learned how to handle superstars after our Barry Bonds years. I am waiting to hear from our own expert, Mr. Notthat Lucas, on this explosive baseball trade.

this is what Democracy looks like

 The title today was one of the chants from yesterday. Effective. No Kings Day was a huge success here and across the country. We started at 11:30am at Dolores Park (top two photos) and walked down Guerrero to Market and on to Civic Center. This was the biggest of the many protests that I have been involved in. So positive and uplifting. People smiling and hopeful. GREAT signs and a really good feeling and no violence at all. I went with Heidi and met up with Terri and her friends. A memorable day.

the Pixar experience

 The Blogmaid's family included me in a wonderful tour of the huge Pixar complex in Emeryville yesterday. Wow! Niece Jade (on the right) has worked there for a few years and she was a terrific tour guide. We walked all over and admired the art, the audio, the outdoor swimming pool, the big gym, the many cafes, the amphitheater and the beautiful architecture. Then we saw a brand new Pixar movie that comes out very soon and my lips are sealed until then But, yes, it is excellent. 

Florio on Fillmore

 Our friend Pat (on the left in bottom photo) had a gift certificate for Florio and who better to spend it on than Neti and your blogger? We enjoyed a fine early dinner last night and by the time we left the restaurant was packed and getting a bit too noisy for us. A very nice evening. Gratitude.

Memories abound

 When I was down at Sunset Dunes last week I just had to snap this photo because I knew how much these colors mean to my friend in Albuquerque. I miss her and she also helped me learn more about this part of San Francisco ~ a whole different world for sure. xo

The Phoenician Scheme

 Amy is a huge Wes Anderson fan and the Alamo Drafthouse was all decorated with fun merchandise and quirky decor to highlight The Phoenician Scheme starring Benicia del Toro, Michael Cera, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson ~ just to name a few. This film is fast paced and funny but not really a must see, unless you too worship Wes Anderson.

smiling out loud

 I ordered a used book for Heidi from Abe Books. $4.00. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is now 20 years old. Imagine. Dave Eggers is a local hero and big time famous author now.This hard cover book arrived yesterday, still with the 30% off Borders sticker. It is in perfect condition and I hope Heidi loves it as much as I did. 

Tony Awards

 Now I want to go to NYC. It takes about four years for plays to travel to our little city and some of these just looked so enticing. I enjoyed the big splash Tony Awards last night ~ the fashions were amazing, as per usual. OK, back to real life today.

more, please

 Neti, Pat and I had a great time in front of the tv yesterday as we watched George Clooney become Edward R. Murrow in the final Broadway show of Good Night and Good Luck. What a treat. After the play was over we discussed the McCarthy Era and how it mirrors the horrors of today. Also enjoyed pizza, salad and non-alcoholic beer. 

Sunset Dunes

 We have a new park in this city of parks. Controversial, but everything here is always a battle and people who live down here do not like giving up their Great Highway and the car is still king. But hey, we have another park and it is really glorious despite the fog. There were a ton of people walking, biking, skating and just enjoying nature yesterday and I had a good walk too. So much space and all flat, clean bathrooms too and this park will just get better and better. Sunset Dunes was created for coastal conservation and sand dune restoration. I vote "yes" and I enjoyed my invigorating walk yesterday. San Francisco has 220 parks, every resident lives within a ten minute walk to a park. Amazing, really.

a big, beautiful break-up

 Watergate was my all-time favorite political TV real life drama with a wonderful outcome, and the Musk-Trump insult ridden exchange yesterday was a close second. I admit to having the news on most of the day with a little baseball (we won) thrown in. These two big billionaire bullies might just destroy each other. We can only hope...

we did Dogpatch

 Doug and Barb have been traveling a lot, but we got together yesterday to enjoy a fine serendipitous lunch at Guilianna's Just for You Cafe on 22nd Street in the Dogpatch district of SF. None of us had been here before, but Doug found parking across the street, so of course that was such a good sign. Excellent burger and sandwiches and beignets for dessert. So lovely being with my friends again and very nice of them to treat, even though I offered. Honest.

plan your Saturday

 This will be such a treat. 

NEW YORK – (JUNE 2, 2025) – CNN will broadcast live the penultimate performance of Good Night, and Good Luck from Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre on Saturday, June 7 at 7pm ET across CNN and CNN International and will stream the event live on CNN.com, and via CNN’s apps on connected TVs and mobile devices, without requiring a cable login. This CNN special event will stream live on Max across all subscription plans.

Remember ~ 3pm here in SF. 

still kittenish

 My constant companion and I have been together almost seven years now. Some mornings Annabelle is so full of "let's drive Mary Ann crazy" energy that I bring out this silly battery operated toy and she attacks  it with gusto. This is one such morning. I never tire of watching her and once she settles in front of her fireplace we will be back to what passes for normal here.

Sausalito on Sunday

 Yesterday Heidi and I visited our old friends and neighbors, Julia and Michael, who now live across the Golden Gate Bridge in the hills above Sausalito. Tea and brownies and a lot of catch-up chatter. You can probably tell from the photos that they are doing a-ok and yes, we miss them a lot.

Japantown Rainbow Coalition

 Amy and I were surprised and delighted by this happy celebration in Japantown yesterday. We were unclear on the concept of Japanese German Shepard dogs, or maybe this guy was just a dog walker or who knows? San Francisco is a strange and wonderful city. Lovely weather too!

dark humor, great drama

 I've been staying up past my well regulated early bedtime in order to watch this most wonderful new series on the Flix®.  DEPT. Q works on cold cases in Edinburgh, Scotland. The three detectives are flawed, brilliant and well worth my tv time. Gritty? Oh, yes indeed.

bones and flowers

The whimsy of my neighbors often makes the steepest of hill-walking a pleasure. This old guy is new in my hood  and we can see that he appreciates the warm afternoon sunshine and our clean, clear air.

 

sort of catching up

 For some reason I'm a better reader in parks and coffee shops than I am at home where I can always find some silly task to distract me. I'm currently reading the April New Yorkers and yesterday I read a fascinating piece by and about Joan Didion. They are publishing her "Notes to John" soon and I think I will avoid the book which is probably an invasion of her private thoughts to her husband. But who knows?  I also guess that this could be depressing. Ms. Didion was, however, a wonderful writer. No question about that. She jotted down these "notes" after her therapy sessions. 

Flix® and moral intrigue

 Well, well, well. Here we have a six-part Danish mystery thriller that shows what might lie beneath the perfect world of wealth and privilege in a Copenhagen suburb. Secrets We Keep tells the story of a missing Filipina au pair and yes, this is an intriguing series for sure.

this treat on Sunday

 I decided to walk to BART via 24th Street on my way to the theatre on Sunday. Carnaval! A yearly celebration of Latin American, Caribbean and AfroMundo cultures. The streets were already lined with chairs and people at 10am and everyone was happy and welcoming. Music, food and oh so colorful.